Peach-stoner



(No Model.)

0. HARDGRAVE.

PEACH STONER.

No. 328,776. Patented Oct. 20, 1885.

k WITNESS'ES ATTORNEYS.

UNTTED STATES PATENT Orrrcn.

OAGER HARDGRAVE, OF OLARKSVILLE, ARKANSAS, ASSIGNOR OF TVO- THIRDS TO CHARLES F. COX, OF BUNKER HILL, ILLINOIS.

PEACH- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 328,776, dated October 20, 1885.

Serial No. 102,079. (No model.)

.To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GAGER IIARDGRAVE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Clarksville, in the county of Johnson and State of Arkansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Peach-Stoners, of which the following is a description.

This invention relates to that class of machines which are used for halving peaches and parting the stones therefrom; and it has for its object to perform the said service neatly and well at a single stroke of a hand-lever.

To this end my invention consists in the construction and combination of parts forming a peach stoner, hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 isa side elevation of myinvention; Fi 2, a detailplan view of the cutting-blades. Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section at x m, Fig. 1. Fig. at is a transverse vertical section of the handle'at 3 y looking at the right-hand end of the machine, and Fig. 5 is an end elevation of the machine on a smaller scale.

The frame of the machine consists of the box-shaped body A, two uprights, B, and two longitudinal beams, 0, all secured firmly together.

D D are steel blades,standing vertically, edge upward,th eir adjacent ends passing each other, and formed into curves E, leaving an opening between them of a size suitable to permit the passage of a peach-stone. The straight portion of these blades acts to split the peach at each side of the stone, the peach,with its stem end downward, being thrust down upon the blades by a steel fork, S, carried by aplunger, G, which slides in a vertical way between the beams 0.

His a lever consisting of two parallel beams, secured at their ends as one piece, the two beams having sufficient space between them for another lever, I. The lever H is pivoted to the frame by means of two links, J, and is connected with the plunger G by means of a link, K, which is pivoted to the said lever H on a bolt, L. Thelever l is also pivoted to the lever H by means of the bolt L, its forward or working end extending beyond the lever H to l serve as a handle, M, and its rear endlapping upon a shoulder. N, of lever H,whereby an upward lift upon the handle M will raise both levers, and the plunger G and fork Feonnected therewith. The lever I is connected by a link, 0, with a lower lever, P, which is hinged at Q, to the frame.

R represents a pair of spoon-shaped blades having springing shanks attached to a follower, S, which rests upon the lever P, and is connect ed therewith by links T. This follower and the lever I? both have vertical holes through them beneath the opening between the blades at E, to allow the peach-stones to fall through and out of the machine. The spoon-shaped portions of the blades It rest normally upon the sides of the blades E, with the convex side outward acting as a wedge to part the two halves of the peach as the latter is pushed down upon the said blades R.

the lever H, to engage and support the lever I therein, so that the lever H is carried down by the lever I.

V V are two slanting lugs fixed to the frame in the path of the ends of the hooks H, and servingt-o part the hooks and free the handlever I when lever H reaches and rests on. the top of the frame. At this point of the movement the fork F has reached its lowest limit, and has pushed the peach down until it is entirely split through by the blades D, and the stone is pushed midway down between the curves E. Now, the hand-lever I being freed from the hooks U, may continue its downward motion,and,as its pivot-pin is now stationary, its rear end rises and lifts the lever 1?, raising the follower S and blades R,whieh latter gradually spring together as their concave interior slides above the curved blades E, thus closely following the form of the peach-stone as it tapers toward its upper end and scraping the peach therefrom. The upper edges or points of the blades R are not so thin and sharp as to catch into the roughness of the peach-stone, the inner sides of these blades being blunt to avoid it.

The curved portionsE of blades D are lower than the corners a of the straight edges of the U represents two spring-hooks secured to blades,in order that the twohalves of the peach may be partly split apart upon the straight edges before they reach the curves E. Then, as the stone enters the space between the curves E, the halves of the peach will be gradually parted by the blades R resting against the sides of the said curves E.

The blades D,with their straight edges and lower curved portions, might be used to stone peaches with any wooden paddle to bear the peaches down thereon.

W is a wing of lever I, extending down between the beams O when the levers H and I are raised, to prevent their being displaced laterally.

b is a spring secured to the frame and acting to press the lever P downward to restore the blades R to place.

When lever I is raised after service,it passes up between the spring-hooks U, and is re-engaged by them, ready for the next operation.

By the use of this machine peaches may be quickly and entirely separated from their stones.

I am aware that blades conforming to the peach-stone, blades radial thereto, and a push ing-fork have before been shown, and I do not claim the same, broadly, as my invention.

WVhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of the two blades D, secured in the same vertical plane, having straight upper edges ending in corners a, and. having outwardly-curved portions E opposite each other and lower than the straight edges thereof, substantially as shown and described.

2. The c ombinatiomwith the blades D, fixed in a vertical plane in a frame, and having the low curved portions E, of the forked piece F secured to the plunger G,which is fitted to slide vertically in the said frame, substantially as shown and described.

3. The combination, with the blades D, curved and secured to a frame, as described, of the spoon-shaped blades R, secured to a follower by spring-shanks, and fitted to slide up over the curved portions of the blades D, substantially as shown and described.

4. The combination, with the curved blades D, fixed to a frame, the spoon-shaped blades R, and the fork F, secured to the plunger G, of the lever H, the links J, securing it to the frame, the link K, connecting the plunger G and lever H, the lever I, pivoted in lever H, the lever P, hinged to the frame, the follower S, supported on lever P, and carrying the blades R, and the link 0, connecting lever I with lever P, substantially as shown and described.

5. The combination, with, the lever H, hung to a frame and connected with the plunger G, of the lever I, pivoted midway to the lever H, lapping thereon at one end, and provided with a handle, M, projecting at the other end beyond lever H, andindirectly connected with the blades R, the spring-hooks U, secured to lever H to engage lever I, and the slanting lugs V, fixed in the path of the said hooks, substantially as shown and described.

CAGEB HARDGRA VE.

Witnesses:

F. L. PENNINGTON, E. T. MoOoNNELL. 

